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Weihnachtslieder, Op 8

Recordings

'Stephen Layton directs the performances and deserves major credit for the very high standards evident on this compilation' (BBC Music Magazine)'This is a disc for listening to in peace, after the Christmas Day festivites are over and the visitors have gone' (The Daily Telegraph)» More

'An appealing collection of choral works from the composer of the celebrated carol, Three Kings from Persian lands afar. Polyphony are perfect advocat ...'These are superior performances, Layton’s group Polyphony offering refined tone and exceptional precision, together with a careful observation of Cor ...» More

Hyperion’s series of St Paul’s recordings is graced by an addition dedicated to music for Epiphany. The programme embraces music from the sixteenth to the twentieth century, from Bach to Bingham, and includes many long-established favourites by We ...» More

Three kings journey from the Orient;
a tiny star leads them to Jordan’s shore.
In Judaea the three seek and enquire
where the new-born king might be?
They offer incense, myrrh and gold
to the child as offering.

And brightly shines the light of the star;
the kings enter the stable;
in rapture they gaze at the baby boy,
the kings bow low in adoration;
incense, myrrh and gold they bring
to the sweet baby boy as offering.

O Son of Man! Be steadfast and keep pace!
The kings are journeying, O journey too!
May the star of love, the star of grace,
shine on your goal, as you seek the Lord,
and if you lack incense, myrrh and gold,
give your heart to that sweet child!
Give him your heart!

Chorale: How beautifully gleams the morning star,
full of the Lord’s mercy and truth,
the sweet root of Jesse!
Thou Son of David from Jacob’s line,
my King and my Bridegroom,
hast taken possession of my heart,
sweet, friendly, beautiful and glorious,
great and honest, rich in gifts,
highly and most splendidly sublime.

The choral arrangement of Die Könige, No 3 from the song cycle for voice and piano is titled Weihnachtslieder (Op 8). Cornelius himself wrote the texts, which so wonderfully retell the biblical Christmas narrative as seen through the eyes of an unquestioning child. At the same time, this is deeply spiritual and emotional music – it is no wonder that they were Cornelius’s most popular compositions and have attracted new choral settings. However, Cornelius himself revised the songs on the advice of Liszt and others and as a result of his own insecurities about his music. They were first composed in 1856, then revised in 1859, and revised once more in 1870 (the last version is the one usually performed). This compositional history is particularly interesting in the case of ‘Die Könige’: it was upon the suggestion of Liszt that Cornelius added the Lutheran chorale in the bass, ‘Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern’, which adds a level of commentary to the story of the Three Kings. The polyphonic combination of song melody above and chorale tune below creates a unique, beautiful sonority.

Three kings from Persian lands afar
To Jordan follow the pointing star:
And this the quest of the travellers three,
Where the new-born King of the Jews may be.
Full royal gifts they bear for the King;
Gold, incense, myrrh are their offering.

The star shines out with a steadfast ray;
The kings to Bethlehem make their way,
And there in worship they bend the knee
As Mary’s child in her lap they see.
Their royal gifts they show to the King;
Gold, incense, myrrh are their offering.

Thou child of man, lo, to Bethlehem
The kings are trav’lling; travel with them!
The star of mercy, the star of grace,
Shall lead thy heart to its resting place.
Gold, incense, myrrh thou canst not bring;
Offer thy heart to the infant King.

The German composer Peter Cornelius (1824–1874) began his professional career in Berlin as a newspaper critic and private teacher, but in 1852 he travelled to Weimar to meet Liszt, whose new ideas in music, together with those of Wagner, attracted him as much as they repelled the followers of Brahms. His comic opera The Barber of Baghdad was produced at Weimar, by Liszt, in 1858, but the furore surrounding Cornelius’s espousal of the Liszt/Wagner school resulted in the opera’s failure and in Liszt’s own resignation. Cornelius then went to Vienna, met Wagner, followed him to Munich and became professor of composition at the Conservatory there. The basis of The Three Kings is the chorale Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (‘How brightly shines the morning star’). To the fully harmonized chorale Cornelius added an additional line for baritone solo, for which he wrote independent words. The original German chorale text was by Philipp Nicolai (1556–1608).

Three Kings from Persian lands afar
To Jordan follow the pointing star:
And this the quest of the travellers three,
Where the new-born King of the Jews may be.
Full royal gifts they bear for the King;
Gold, incense, myrrh are their offering.

How brightly shines the morning star!
With grace and truth from heaven afar
Our Jesse tree now bloweth.

The star shines out with a steadfast ray;
The Kings to Bethlehem make their way,
And there in worship they bend the knee,
As Mary’s child in her lap they see;
Their royal gifts they show to the King;
Gold, incense, myrrh are their offering.

Thou child of man, lo, to Bethlehem
The Kings are travelling, travel with them!
The star of mercy, the star of grace,
Shall lead thy heart to its resting-place.
Gold, incense, myrrh thou canst not bring;
Offer thy heart to the infant King.

Peter Cornelius (1824–1874) was the son of two actors who saw that he was a talented child and sent him to train in their preferred profession. They also recognized that he had musical gifts and encouraged his music lessons. By 1840 he was playing the violin in the Mainz theatre orchestra, later acting in the Nassau court theatre troupe. On the death of his father he moved to Berlin where he began to devote himself exclusively to music. There he met painters, poets and others from various artistic disciplines and became aware of his talents as a poet and writer. Finding no outlet for his abilities in Berlin he moved to Weimar where he studied with Liszt, who immediately recognized his abilities. The group that surrounded Liszt—the so-called New German School, which included Hans von Bülow—was more to Cornelius’s taste and so the young composer devoted himself to promoting Liszt’s ideas. Liszt, in turn, introduced him to Berlioz, Brahms and Wagner and it was through contact with these composers that Cornelius began to find his métier as an opera composer—his first opera was, in fact, conducted by Liszt. When the latter left Weimar (following a dispute with the ‘New Germans’) Cornelius went to Vienna. Wagner’s influence was strong and, in 1865, he invited Cornelius to Munich as his personal répétiteur, arranging a salary from the Privy Purse of Ludwig II. In Munich he began to teach music theory, harmony, metrics and poetics at the Royal School of Music where, due to his responsibilities, his creativity also began to wane. His third opera was to remain unfinished.

Cornelius was a committed Christian who also wrote sacred music. The Three Kings is the third of his Weihnachtslieder, Op 8, dating from 1856. The correct title is Die Könige, and the work is originally scored for baritone and piano. The piano plays the Epiphany chorale ‘How brightly shines the morning star!’. The song was later arranged for soloist and chorus by Ivor Atkins.

Three Kings from Persian lands afar
To Jordan follow the pointing star:
And this the quest of the travellers three,
Where the new-born King of the Jews may be.
Full royal gifts they bear for the King;
Gold, incense, myrrh are their offering.

How brightly shines the morning star!
With grace and truth from heaven afar
Our Jesse tree now bloweth.

The star shines out with a steadfast ray;
The kings to Bethlehem make their way,
And there in worship they bend the knee,
As Mary’s child in her lap they see;
Their royal gifts they show to the King;
Gold, incense, myrrh are their offering.

Thou child of man, lo, to Bethlehem
The Kings are travelling, travel with them!
The star of mercy, the star of grace,
Shall lead thy heart to its resting place.
Gold, incense, myrrh thou canst not bring;
Offer thy heart to the infant King.